Pope hits epic 196 as England set India 231-run target in first Test

Ollie Pope missed out on a well-deserved double-century, falling to Jasprit Bumrah and thus ending the England innings on a score of 420. 

Pope received handshakes from the Indian players as he walked off after scoring a colossal 196, the fourth highest score by a visiting batter in the second innings in India. 

His innings has helped England post a tricky target of 231 for India to chase and take a 1-0 lead and he, alongwith Ben Foakes, Rehan Ahmed and Tom Hartley, has given his side a fighting chance art recording a remarkable come-from-behind victory. 

Ravichandran Ashwin dismissed Tom Hartley earlier in the day and thus ended an 80-run partnership between the latter and Pope. Before that stand, Jasprit Bumrah sent back Rehan Ahmed to get India the first wicket of Day 4 but that was not before the 19-year-old's partnership with Pope crossed 50.

The tourists had risked a defeat inside three days after India, having built a lead of 190, reduced England to 163-5 in their second innings in the second session of the day. 

But Pope dug his heels in, hitting 17 fours in a 274-minute masterclass to produce arguably his finest knock even though India are confident of going 1-0 up in the five-match series. Rehan Ahmed was keeping Pope company on 16 with England finishing the third day on 316/6, giving them a significant lead with four wickets in hand.

India, who have not lost a Test series on home soil since 2012/13, amassed 436 in their reply to England's first innings 246. That left England with a mountain to climb and the touring batters did not retreat into any defensive shell. 

Openers Zak Crawley (31) and Ben Duckett (47) scored freely, frequently employing the sweep shot -- both traditional and reverse -- to negate India's spinners. Crawley motored along at a run-a-ball rate but could not convert the start and edged a Ravichandran Ashwin ball to lone slip Rohit Sharma.

Duckett, then on 39, was lucky when Jasprit Bumrah's lbw appeal was turned down and India did not review that decision. Replays confirmed the ball would have hit the leg stump. Not that it mattered - in his next over, Bumrah uprooted Duckett's off-stump and let out a roar.

The ball had started reversing and Bumrah was looking particularly threatening. A length ball from him rapped Root on his front pad and the batter challenged the lbw decision against him but could not get it overturned. Root, who excelled as a part-time spinner claiming 4-79, walked away for two.

Ravindra Jadeja foxed Johnny Bairstow (10) by first spinning one past the bat and then following it with a delivery that pitched on the same spot but went straight. Bairstow, expecting it to turn, did not offer any shot and looked in horror as the ball went on to disturb his stumps. Ashwin dismissed Ben Stokes for the 12th time in tests, for six, with a flighted delivery that beat the pad and hit the off-stump. Pope, dropped on 110 by Axar Patel, combined with Ben Foakes in a century stand for the sixth wicket.